Mattheus Smallegange (

Goes Goes () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents. History Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek: de Kort ...

, baptized December 29, 1624 - Goes, January 5, 1710) was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

historian, lawyer, genealogist and translator. 1665 Sinne- beeld 2

He studied law in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

(1638 - 1647). However, he probably didn't graduate. In 1651 he traveled through France to further develop his skills in the French and Italian language. After his return, he established himself as commissioner of the militia in Goes. Around 1660 he lived in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and began to publish. After publishing his ''Sinnebeeld in honor of Wilhem the III'' ( 1665 ) he was expelled from the city for a year. After that time he is found again in Goes, and is also mentioned in Middelburg. In 1682 he started writing his best-known work: '' Nieuwe Cronyk Van Zeeland'', an extensive (almost 800-page long) illustrated description of Zeeland. The Cronyk was finished in 1696, but only appeared in 1700. The years of delay were caused by disagreements between the Zeeland cities and the States of Zeeland - the regional government. The work is a continuation and summary of the chronicles of

Jacobus Eyndius Jonkheer, Jhr. Jacob van den Eynde III (1575 – 11 September 1614) also known as Jacques van den Eynde, and better known as ''Jacobus Eyndius'', was a Dutch people, Dutch poet, scientist, historian, and captain. His best known work is the ''Chro ...

(''Chronici Zelandiae'') and Johan Reygersberg (''Dye Chronijck van Zeelandt''). Much (sometimes verbatim) was also taken from the work of

Boxhorn Boxhorn () is a village in the commune of Wincrange, canton of Clervaux, district of Diekirch in northern Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duch ...

and Vredius (

Olivier de Wree Olivier de Wree (1596–1652), pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their work ...

). Whenever he could, Smallegange copied parts of the old chronicles. Smallegange's ''Cronyk'' was published when the publishing profession in Middelburg, which had been flourishing in the early 17th-century, was already on in decline. Nevertheless, his book is still an interesting work for the province. A second part was foreseen, but never materialized. Smallegange summarized this in a short ''Besluyt'', which appeared in 1704. He did write other works, including a number of genealogies and translations. Smallegange was a passionate researcher and collector of historical details, which cost him a lot of time, effort and money. The collection of material for his masterpiece, the ''Cronyk'', was financed by the

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

. He died, unmarried, in a rented room in Goes.

Literature

* * * PJ Verkruijsse; Mattheus Smallegange (1624-1710) and his cronyk van Zeeland; Interbook International (Schiedam) (1977) * PJ Verkruijsse; Mattheus Smallegange (1624-1710): Zeeland historian, genealogist and translator. Descriptive personal bibliography (1983)

References

External links

99 prints from ''the Cronyk''

Integral version of the ''Cronyk'' with extra plates from the Speculum Zelandiae edition Ottens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallegange, Mattheus 1624 births 1710 deaths 17th-century Dutch poets 17th-century Dutch historians Dutch Golden Age writers 18th-century Dutch historians